


Control

by pleuvoirx



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Wanda Maximoff, BAMF oc, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/M, Magical, Original Character(s), Telekinesis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29389773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pleuvoirx/pseuds/pleuvoirx
Summary: "they send me away to find them a fortune."When Bella Swan moves to Forks, Eleanor Stanley is swept into the world of the supernatural.[Twilight-Breaking Dawn Pt. 2][Completed][Originally Posted on Wattpad as Pleuvoirx]
Relationships: Carlisle Cullen/Original Female Character(s), Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. 0.1

Raindrops raced down the windows of Jessica Stanley's car as Eleanor leaned her head against the coolness of the window. Her mind was consumed with thoughts of her day ahead as her sister chatted away in the driver’s seat beside her. 

Jessica was telling her about the new girl that was coming today from Arizona. As her sister spoke, Eleanor could hear her jealousy poking through clearly. Jessica loved being the center of attention at school and her popularity would temporarily shift to the new girl. No one new ever came to Forks High School and Jess didn’t like the thought that someone was stealing her spotlight. 

The two sisters had never been very much alike. While Jessica liked attention and, for the most part, people, Eleanor preferred to be left alone. Jessica liked to go out on a Friday night with friends and El didn’t mind a night in, closed off from the outside world. 

Eleanor kept herself closed off from others for a reason. When she was only ten, she realized she could do things that her sister - or anyone for that matter - couldn't do. She had the ability to move objects with her mind which, at the time, confused her to no end. As she experimented with her magic, Eleanor found she could read anyone’s thoughts as plainly as her own. 

Her power terrified her and she made an effort to keep herself at a distance. 

"Are you even listening to me?" Jessica snapped as she turned the car into the school parking lot.

"Yes." Eleanor rolled her eyes with a huff. Jess had been complaining about this for days. "You were telling me about one of your tests today."

Jessica hummed and put her car in park. The twins grabbed their bags and exited the car, walking towards their group of friends. Despite their differences, they did share the same friend group. 

However, while Jess was close with Lauren, Eleanor was close with Angela.

Eric Yorkie walked over to Angela and Eleanor and put his arms around both girls. "Ready to meet the newbie?"

She only scowled and shoved her friend’s arm off of her. “Between you and Jess gossiping about her, I feel as if I already have.”

Eric laughed at her but Eleanor meant it. It wasn’t that she didn’t like new people, but she was wary around them for good reason. And besides, Bella Swan had been the talk of the town recently and Eleanor was ready for her arrival so everyone would go back to talking about regular things, like the new menu at the local café.  
Angela shimmied her way between the two and reached for their hands. “Enough talking and let’s get to class.”  
Eleanor was lucky to have most of her classes with her friends and none with Lauren. She didn’t understand how her sister was friends with the girl at times, but other days she understood perfectly well. 

Angela and Eleanor walked towards their first class together in silence. Angela didn’t mind sitting in silence sometimes and Eleanor loved that about her. Of course the two had their gossiping moments but they did appreciate the quietness as well.

El’s first few classes of the day dragged along slowly though she soon found herself being pulled into a chair between Eric and Angela. She wrinkled her nose at the sandwich on her tray. “I can’t wait to go home.”

Eric laughed at his friend, sharing a look with Angela. "Every day right at this exact time."

“What?” Eleanor asked, looking between the two as they laughed.

“You say the same thing every day, without fail.” Angela giggled as she bit into a carrot. 

El’s face flushed but she shrugged her shoulders. As she opened her mouth to answer, Jess sat down with an unfamiliar face by her side. “It’s the truth.”

"Guys! This is Bella Swan!” Jess introduced with a wide grin. Bella Swan gave them an awkward wave before trying to hide behind her dark hair. Eleanor liked her immediately. She would hate having to move to a new school halfway through the year so she wanted to make it easier on the newbie.

"Nice to meet you, Bella." She greeted, tilting her lips up slightly. Bella looked between her and Jess with narrowed eyes. 

"Eleanor is Jessica's twin sister." Angela pointed out, almost as if she could read the confusion on her face. 

Realization dawned on her and Bella nodded. “You two look a lot alike.”

"I see you guys have met my girl, Bella." Mike nudged his way between Jess and Bella, swinging an arm around the new girl.

"You mean my girl?" Tyler, another friend of Eleanor's, came up behind Mike and pulled his chair out from under him, running across the cafeteria. Mike shot up from the floor, yelling at Tyler before chasing after him.

Eleanor raised a brow as she stabbed her fork into her fruit cup. She could hear Jess giggling from beside her.

"Oh, my God." Her sister began and Eleanor lifted her head to hear her. "It's like first grade all over again and you're the shiny new toy."  
Eleanor sensed the tone of jealousy in her voice and threw her a look. Jess shrugged, but Bella wasn't paying attention, instead looking behind Jessica and Lauren. "Who are they?"  
Eleanor turned to follow her gaze before she let out a laugh. "They are the Cullens. Dr. Cullen and his sister adopted them together. They all moved down from Alaska a couple of years ago."

"Yeah." Jessica added, shooting a glance to the teens behind her. "They all kind of keep to themselves. And they're all together."

In all honesty, Eleanor never paid much attention to the Cullens. While Jessica was obsessed with knowing everything about the family, El left the, alone. She had a suspicion that there was off about them - just due to the fact that they lived in the same house, were in high school and were romantically involved with each other.

"It's weird! They all live together!" Jess said in a hushed voice. She leaned closer to Bella before trying to subtly point towards a girl with a pixie cut and a boy with golden blonde hair. "She's really weird. That's Alice and she's dating Jasper, the one who looks like he's always in pain."

Another blonde woman and a man who looked way to muscular for a sixteen year old walked past next and El watched her sister's face scrunch up. "Rosalie is the blonde and she's with Emmett."  
Bella nodded before pointing to the final boy who walked through the door, a blush creeping up her neck. "And who's he?"

Eleanor spoke up then, eyeing the bronze-haired boy. "He is Edward Cullen-"

"-He's totally gorgeous and totally single but apparently no one here is good enough for him." Jessica stabbed at her food a little harder. "Like I care."

Eleanor threw a look to Angela, who thankfully stood up with her trash, leaving El to follow behind her. When they were far enough away, Angela began to laugh. "How long do you think she's going to be jealous of Bella?"

Eleanor scoffed, linking her arm through her friend's. "God only knows but hopefully she gets over it soon. I can't stand when Jess gets like this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am finally moving all of my works over to AO3 starting with Control!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! It's going through major editing so only the finished edited parts will be published for now!


	2. 0.2

The next day passed in the same fashion, with Eleanor riding to school with her sister and her morning classes dragging along. Eleanor was so happy that her junior year was nearly over, meaning she was one day closer to leaving Forks. Eleanor thought that maybe once she left Forks, she wouldn't have to worry about losing control of her powers around her loved ones. She hated the thought of hurting one of her friends or a member of her family.

Bella dropped her tray down next to Eleanor, making the girl jump and look up towards her. Bella huffed. "He's not here. After biology yesterday, I saw him in the office trying to change his schedule so we wouldn’t have class together."

In their biology class the day before, Bella had been paired up with Edward Cullen. While the boy was usually closed off from other students, Bella claimed he was rude and tense throughout class. El couldn’t believe that he would actually go as far as to change his schedule, just so he could sit alone.

"He keeps to himself, just like the rest of his family. I had classes with him last year and I don’t think he ever spoke to anyone even if he was paired up with them." Eleanor attempted to comfort her new friend but she had a feeling she wasn’t very convincing.

Because she had never actually seen Edward Cullen - or any of them, for that matter - work with anyone outside of their little circle. That didn’t mean he had to be rude to the new girl for no reason.

"Did he ever ditch school afterwards?” Bella asked, throwing a look to his family’s table. Edward was the only one absent. Alice’s eyes snapped up to meet hers but El looked back to Bella soon after. 

Eleanor raised her shoulders, trying her best to look apologetic, and Bella sighed. "I didn't think so."

Eleanor turned her head back over to their table, feeling a chill run down her spine when she saw Alice and Emmett staring at her. She raised a brow at them, hoping they’d look away once she caught them staring. When they didn’t, Eleanor focused her gaze on both of them and moved both of her hands beneath the table before waving her fingers in their direction.

She watched as the siblings blinked, looking mildly confused before turning their gaze elsewhere, obviously feeling the effects of Eleanor's scarlet whirls. El sighed and looked down at her tray, feeling bad that she had to use her abilities on someone. She peaked up at Bella, who was poking around at her food and nudged her shoulder. "Look, don't worry about him. Maybe he’s going through stuff right now. If you're really that upset about it, wait until he gets back and then confront him about it, okay?"

Eleanor stood with her tray and backpack, tossing Bella a small smile before leaving to meet Angela.

\---

Later that night as Eleanor sat in her bedroom with her back against her wall, she moved her fingers slowly, watching the waves of scarlet roll around her fingers. Her powers were pretty, at least, looking like a red mist that belonged solely to her hands. El jumped when a knock sounded against her door and she quickly put her hands down before calling out. "Come in!"

Mrs. Stanley opened her daughter's door, looking anxious as she twisted her hands together. El sat up, worried that something was wrong. "I just got a call from the hospital. Jessica was in a car accident."

"Oh, my God." Eleanor said, feeling another rush of worry shoot through her as she stood up. "Yes."

The teen pulled on her shoes and jacket quickly before following her mom down the stairs and climbing into the car. "What happened?"

Eleanor's mom sighed as she started the car. "They didn't tell me much over the phone. They said she was okay and she wanted me to come down there."

"So she's not hurt, right?" Eleanor chewed on her nails, looking to her mother, who shook her head.

"They just told me she was fine, El."

Eleanor and Jessica weren't as close as some siblings were but, no matter what, they did care for each other. Eleanor hated to see her sister or her mom get hurt. She hated even more that she could possibly be a reason they did get hurt.

When they finally arrived to the hospital, Mrs. Stanley parked her car in the first spot she could find. The two of them rushed out of the car and headed into the emergency room. Eleanor walked quickly, following her mom to the room they were told to go into.

Relief flooded her body when she saw her sister sitting up in the bed and El smiled as she rushed to her side. She pulled her sister into a short hug, shocking the girl who returned the hug after a moment. "What happened?"

Jessica scoffed as let go of her sister, rolling her eyes. "Some idiot crashed into my side of the car. They did more damage to my car than me but they insisted that I had to come here and have a ‘thorough’ check over.”

Jess’ face lit up suddenly and she sat up before leaning close to her sister. “I'm totally not complaining though. My doctor is Dr. Cullen."  
Eleanor laughed at her sister. It was just like Jess to try and gossip about men no matter the situation. "Sounds like you were really lucky to be a car crash then."

"No kidding, I should do this more often.” She joked before turning to look at their mom, who looked amused at the both of them. “Dr. Cullen should be in a few minutes to give you papers to sign."

"Sounds good." Mrs. Stanley said, sticking up two thumbs. She leaned over Jess to kiss her head. "I'm glad you're okay, Jessie."

El smiled at her mom. Sometimes she felt bad for her - she had had to raise two girls on her own after their father left her when they were only 8 years old. Sometimes she wished that her father hadn’t left them, but other times, El was perfectly content with just the three of them.

After another few minutes, there was a knock on the door and Dr. Cullen walked in with a smile on his face and a clipboard in his hands. "Mrs. Stanley! Nice to meet you - I'm Dr. Cullen."

As Eleanor looked over to him, she instantly decided that he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. His hair was blonde, nearly as bright as Rosalie’s was and his skin was just as pale as his adopted children's. She noticed they all shared the same amber eyes as well, placing a thought towards the back of her mind which she ignored.

For as many years as the Cullen family lived in Forks, Eleanor had never seen this man this close before. She remembered Jess’ words earlier and found herself glad that she had tagged along with her mom… just so she could be sure that Jess was okay, of course. 

El jumped when Jess poked at her back. She turned to look at her smirking sister and glared at her. Dr. Cullen turned his attention over to Eleanor and Jess, opening his mouth to speak before he locked eyes with El. He stammered for a moment, looking between his clipboard and Eleanor before clearing his throat and snapping out of his trance.

He stuck out his hand, flashing her a bright smile. "I'm guessing you're Eleanor."

The girl eyed his hand before slowly raising hers and placing it in his, almost flinching away from how cold he was. "You'd be correct."

He flashed another wide smile at her and, although she was sitting down, she suddenly felt dizzy. Dr. Cullen looked at Jessica. "So good news, you will be perfectly fine. You do have a small concussion from hitting your head when the other car hit her but other than that you’re all good. I just need you to sign these papers and then you'll all be good to go."

Mrs. Stanley thanked the doctor and began to sign the papers he had given her., Eleanor found her eyes had strayed to him once more and felt her face heat when Dr. Cullen met her eyes.

“Okay, we're all good." Her mom snapped her out of her staring and El watched as she handed the papers to Dr. Cullen. "Thanks again, Doctor."

"You're welcome. Have a good day everyone." He turned to Eleanor and smiled at her again before leaving the room.

"Oh, my God, Eleanor!" Jessica busted into loud laughter, not even trying to be quiet. "You couldn't stop staring at him!"

El glared at her sister, her face feeling hot, leaving her to cover them with her hands. "Shut up or I'm going to give you something worse than a concussion."

"It'd give you another reason to stare at Dr. Cullen." Jess teased, laughing louder as she stood up from the bed.

Eleanor rolled her eyes, her blush spreading down her neck and she quickly left the room with her sister and her mom giggling behind her.


	3. 0.3

Eleanor’s weekend passed way too quickly and she soon found herself behind a desk. Her cup of coffee sitting next to her was the only reason she was getting through the morning. El had been up late that Sunday night, trying to cram in as much homework as she could get done - she liked having her schoolwork done early. When Jess saw how tired her twin was, she offered to make a quick stop on the way to school.

Her head was laying on the desk and her hand was holding a pencil as she drew lazy circles on her notebook paper. She heard Bella begin to laugh next to her and peeked over at her friend. “How much sleep did you get?”

"Not enough.” Eleanor mumbled, before going back to her drawings.

Bella laughed again before falling silent. El took one look at her face before sighing. "It’s the first class of the day, Bella. You don’t usually see him until lunch.”  
It had been a week since Edward had been at school and, while Bella hadn’t said anything, Eleanor could tell her friend was eager to see when he’d show up. Bella shot her a look. “I didn’t even say anything.”

“The look on your face says it all.” El picked up her head and flipped to a clean sheet of paper when their teacher walked in. “He can’t stay away forever.”

Bella sighed and opened her notebook as well. Eleanor took another sip of coffee and rested her head in her hand, trying her best to pay attention to the teacher’s ramblings. 

\---

Later that day, Mike, Bella and Eleanor made their way to biology class. The way Mike kept shooting Bella glances made Eleanor uncomfortable and she quickly made an excuse to leave them. "I'll be right back. I'll meet you in class."

The two told her bye, leaving Eleanor to slip into the bathroom. She turned to the mirror, trying her best to stall so she wouldn't catch up to her friends. The sound of footsteps entering the bathroom broke Eleanor away from the mirror and she smiled at Alice and Rosalie Cullen when they entered.

Alice Cullen grinned back at her, though Rosalie stood with a stern expression. "Hi!"

"Hi." Eleanor answered back, trying not to let her surprise show. In all the years she had went to school with the Cullen family, not one of them spoke to her - even when they ran into each other in the bathroom. 

Alice smiled and her eyes rolled of Eleanor. "I love that shirt. Where'd you get it?"

"Oh." Eleanor looked down at it. It was just a white blouse, so it was nothing special. "Some boutique in Seattle. I can't remember the name."

Alice hummed. The bell rang as Alice opened her mouth and her expression turned apologetic. "Well, gotta go. See you around, Eleanor."

The two girls walked out, leaving Eleanor standing shocked. She wasn't aware that the family knew who she was but she didn't give any more thought to it as she rushed to class. 

When she entered, her eyes found Bella and she smiled when she saw that she was sitting next to Edward. The teacher was explaining their activity of the day when Eleanor sat down next to Mike. Mike smiled at her when she sat and El returned it before she pulled out her supplies.

Throughout their experiments, Eleanor caught herself staring between her paper and Edward. Her mind began wandering and she found herself thinking of just how strange his family was.   
Carlisle and Esme were siblings who decided to adopt five children and, though that by itself was weird, the fact that they all looked similar was even weirder. What were the odds that seven people - who weren't all related - had the same golden eyes and pale skin? She thought of Dr. Cullen's hands and how cold they had been. Eleanor wasn't sure that she had ever felt a human hand that cold.

Eleanor wasn't usually a nosy person but she couldn't help her growing curiosity towards the family. Edward turned his head to look at the girl and Eleanor glared at him before turning her focus back to the assignment. In that moment, she decided she was going to figure out exactly what was going on with the Cullen family.

\---

Eleanor chose her next lunch period to carry out her plan. She made sure that she was sat facing the Cullen table, leaving no person in between her and Edward. She turned her head to the table, tuning out her friends' conversations, and sought out Edward's mind. El placed her head in her hands and begin to use her magic to enter the boy's mind.

Images flashed by too quickly in her mind to get a solid glance at them. She huffed, pushing further into his mind to try and gain a grip - she had never done this before aside from the time she had accidentally did it to Jess. Pictures became clearer but most of his thoughts were centered around his family and, surprisingly, Bella Swan. There were rare flashes of animals and Eleanor assumed that Edward enjoyed being in nature.

Suddenly, Eleanor was pushed out of Edward's mind and pressed her hands into her head, trying to relieve the pressure of her new headache. She looked up, nearly startling when she caught Edward's glare.

Eleanor's eyes widened and she had to wonder if he knew what she was doing. The glare was gone from his face and in its place was a look of surprise. Though Edward had seen some of Eleanor's thoughts, he never paid her much mind - Eleanor's mind wasn't different than any other focused girl's. At school, she was always thinking of her next class and not her abilities. He realized now that maybe Eleanor was hiding a secret just as big as his family's own.

Eleanor stood up and turned to Jess. "I'm going home, I'll see you later."

Jess turned to her. "Are you okay?"

Her twin nodded and grabbed her backpack. "Yeah, I just don't really feel good - headache. See ya."

Eleanor looked to the Cullen's table one more time to see them all staring up at her. She raised a single brow at Edward before turning and walking out of the cafeteria.

'What in the hell just happened?' Eleanor thought.


	4. 0.4

Millions of questions and thoughts raced through Eleanor's head as she sat in her bedroom later that night. The eager side of her was curious about Edward, wondering if he could do as much as she could and help her control it. However, the part of her that was scared of her abilities was also scared of the possibility that the Cullens’ were something more than mind readers. 

Eleanor decided that, no matter how she felt, she needed to confront one of the Cullens’. She had to know if there was a better way to control her powers and live with them without fear. As she thought, Eleanor raised her hand and let the scarlet tendrils swim around her pale fingers.

She wasn’t entirely sure of what all she could do. The most she had experienced was the accidental - sometimes purposeful - mind reading and the scarlet energy bursts she could release from her hands. El’s favorite thing about her abilities was her control of telekinesis - it made reaching things around her room much easier. 

Eleanor could remember the moment when she first developed her powers and had accidentally smashed her mirror from moving her hand to quick and sending a ball of energy into it. Her mother was terrified - she had even called for a priest to bless their home. When Mrs. Stanley found Eleanor alone in her room with a smashed mirror, scared face, and no injuries, she had instantly thought that something was messing with them.

Mrs. Stanley wasn’t a fan of supernatural forces and she wanted no part of it in her house.

That was why El never told her mom or sister. She was weird, to say the least, and she couldn’t exactly take her abilities away and live a normal life. She could only hope that Edward would have some answers.

Eleanor turned her focus to the pens that surrounded the notebooks on her bed. She raised her hands, moving her fingers in a dance as the pens tangled in the tendrils and rose in the air.   
She tilted her head, becoming more and more focused on how her mind moved the objects. El pulled the pens closer to her body before she snapped her wrists and sent the pens flying into different parts of her room.

Eleanor smiled before picking her hands up once again and moving the pens back up to the bed. The only time she felt comfortable with her abilities was when she was alone in the comfort of her room - she couldn’t hurt anyone when she was alone. 

Her smile turned into a frown as her thoughts turned back to the matter at hand. She had to confront them as soon as possible. She was scared of the possibilities ahead of her but perhaps this would be a good thing. Edward knew what she had done anyway and, even if she didn’t confront him, she had a feeling their paths would cross anyway. 

\---

Eleanor was pleased to see that it was raining the next day. She liked the rain for one thing, enjoying the soft sounds it made as it landed on the earth. The rain also meant that the Cullen family would be at school that day - the family only missed when it was sunny. Apparently, they all went on family hiking trips.

Jess had been eyeing Eleanor throughout the entire car ride and Eleanor waited for her to speak. She hadn’t had the chance to talk to her the night before so she was sure she missed something in Jess’ life. “Are you okay?”

"I'm fine." El shot her a look, wondering what made her ask. “Why?"

“You’ve been acting strange.” Jess answered with a shrug. "Why'd you leave school yesterday?"

El swung her bag over her shoulder as the twins got out of the car. She sighed as they waked up to their friends. "I felt really sick all of a sudden. I’m all better now, so no worries."

Their friends greeted them with smiles as they settled in. Eleanor found herself between Angela and Tyler, smiling at him when he swung an arm over her shoulder. As she looked at him, she noticed a new set of stitches sewn into his brow and cheek. “What happened?”

“Oh, you missed it, El!” Angela jumped in, looking between Bella and Tyler. The former began to blush, looking completely uncomfortable. “Tyler lost control of his van and almost hit Bella.”

"Oh, my God?” Eleanor looked between her friends. They both looked fine apart from the stitches in Tyler’s face. "I’m glad you guys are okay! What happened?"

"It’s a long story." Bella was short with her and looked behind El to meet Edward's gaze. Eleanor followed her eyes, feeling a chill run down her spine when she locked gazes with Alice. Alice nodded her head to Edward and El held her chin high when they locked eyes.

They held their eye contact for no less than half a minute but it seemed like both of them knew they had to talk. The bell ringing had Eleanor looking away but she had made up her mind - she was going to talk to him.

\---

"Bella!" Eleanor jogged to catch up with her friend in the hall, smiling when she stopped beside her. “You never told me what happened yesterday.”

Bella’s cheeks grew a bright red and she looked away from Eleanor. "Like I said, it’s a long story."

Eleanor raised an eyebrow, not completely buying her excuse. “We have the entire lunch period.”

Bella sighed and looked around the hallway before grabbing Eleanor's arm and pulling her to the side. "Okay, fine. I was standing at my truck when Tyler lost control of his van. I swear he was going to hit me, El.” Bella paused looking around like someone was listening. “But then Edward was between me and the truck and stopped it. With his hand."

Eleanor's eyes widened. "Was he with you?"

"No!” She shook her head, frantically. “He was standing across the parking lot by his car. I told his Dr. Cullen when I was at the hospital and he looked at me like I was insane."  
Eleanor's mind became fixed on the thought of the doctor but she was pushing her thoughts away quickly. "I believe you. If I’m being honest, I’ve got a feeling that something is off about the entire family."

Bella frowned. "Why do you say that?"

Eleanor only shrugged and looked around the hallway. She narrowed her eyes at Edward when she saw him standing at the end of the hall staring at them. She shot Bella a tight-lipped smile. "Just a feeling. I’ll meet you in the cafeteria.”

Eleanor broke away from Bella without another word, heading straight for Edward. He turned, making his way into the cafeteria. Eleanor quickened her steps, noting that Edward was headed for the doors that led outside. She could feel her friends’ eyes on her but paid no mind as she exited the school.

"Hey!" Eleanor called, tired of chasing him.

Edward stopped, turning to face her once they were far enough away from the building. "Yes?”

Eleanor swallowed, feeling her anxiety growing, but stood her ground. She was determined to find out the truth, one way or another. “What was that yesterday?”

"I should be the one asking that, considering you were the one in my head first.” Edward crossed his arms, leaning against his car. His eyes were narrowed, clearly trying to figure the girl out. “What are you?”

"I’m still trying to figure that out.” Eleanor said honestly. “I was hoping you could help with that.”

She tried to hide her desperation but she knew it showed on her plainly. She couldn’t help it - after nearly eight years of feeling like she was alone, she found out that someone else could read minds. Edward sighed and looked toward the ground. "Maybe I can. But first you should know everything.”

"Everything?" Eleanor asked. “What else could there be?”

"Find Alice after school. You can come to our house and we'll explain everything. My family is very curious about you." Edward glanced at her once more before pulling his keys from his jacket pocket and leaving in his car.


	5. 0.5

Later that evening, Alice Cullen eyed the girl that sat in her living room. She was intrigued by the girl and had been for some time. Alice had seen Eleanor in a vision years ago, which was part of the reason they had moved back to Forks. Strangely enough though, she had never seen what Eleanor was capable of.

El had been sitting on one of the couches in their living room for about thirty minutes. It was tense and a little awkward as the family sat around her. Edward had insisted that she meet Alice right after school but they wanted to wait for Carlisle before they explained anything and he still hadn’t arrived.

Alice turned her head away from Eleanor when she heard gravel crunching under car tires. Everyone sat straighter and Eleanor looked around, straightening her back when she saw everyone do the same.

"He's here." Edward spoke quietly and El turned to look at him. 

"Good." Alice grinned as she went to sit next to Eleanor. She smiled at the girl, trying her best to make her relax.

Eleanor looked around before scoffing. “I feel like I’m about to be forced into a cult.”

Emmett laughed at the girl and crossed his large arms over his chest. “Don’t worry, we’re not like all cults.”

Eleanor looked like she couldn’t tell if he was serious or not, causing Alice to huff out a laugh. She could tell that the two would get along.

Carlisle made his way through the house, whistling a tune as he did. El felt her face heat and looked down to her hands, hoping it would fade before he entered the room. The whistling stopped and she could hear him set something down. “What’s going on?”

Edward stood, motioning to Eleanor. "She wants to know everything."

Carlisle’s expression morphed into one of understanding and he made his way to the seat across from Eleanor and Alice. She finally looked up to him, feeling embarrassed that her cheeks were still burning. 

Carlisle offered her a small smile. "What do you already know?"

Eleanor looked back down, finding her hands incredibly interesting at the moment. “Only that Edward can read minds.”

Carlisle hummed, shooting the younger man a look. “Listen, Eleanor. What we’re about to tell you is a secret that cannot be told to anyone else. If you tell anyone, you could potentially put their life in danger.”

Panic gripped her veins and Eleanor took a deep breath. She nodded her head after a moment - she was good at keeping secrets, so she knew she’d have no problem with this one. “I promise I won’t.”

Rosalie looked wary but didn’t say a word. She was hesitant to tell Eleanor their biggest secret but it would too hard not to now. 

Carlisle shifted in his seat and folded his hands together. "Edward can read minds but he’s not like you. He is only able to do so because it’s a gift as an immortal."

“Immortal?” She breathed. "Like… like vampires or something?"

The family’s silence was the only answer she needed and Eleanor gripped her stomach. "Oh, my God."

Carlisle stood up, holding his hands out to the girl to show that he wasn’t a threat. "I know it’s a shock but I promise that we're not going to hurt you."

“Right.” El couldn’t help the shocked laugh that left her. “Right! You’re vampires and vampires kill people. Is this why you brought me here? I found out your secret so you have to kill me?!"

Emmett burst into laughter, causing Rosalie to elbow him harshly. Esme slid next to Carlisle to try and comfort Eleanor. "We don’t drink from humans, Eleanor. We survive off of animal blood."

Eleanor tried to focus on her breathing but panic was growing inside her. She looked at Esme and then back at Carlisle, who took a small step towards her. Without thinking, El shot her hands in front of her, watching as a scarlet ball shot from her hands and hit Carlisle straight in the chest. Everyone tensed as Carlisle flew into the couch opposite of her and Eleanor shot up, immediately reaching to help. "I'm so sorry."

"It’s okay Eleanor.” Esme helped Carlisle stand and made sure he was alright. “We know this is a shock. Why don't you sit back down and we can answer questions."

Eleanor nodded and hesitantly sat back on the couch. She set her shaking hands in her lap and locked eyes with Carlisle. "I'm really sorry."

Eleanor was terrified and it showed plainly. She was in a house full of vampires and she had just attacked one of them. In eight years, she had never used her powers against someone to hurt them and she felt terrible that Carlisle had been hit. 

Carlisle smiled at her and she could feel some of the tension melting from her veins. "It's okay, Eleanor. Edward said you reached into his mind first. Is that all you can do?"

El took a deep breath before looking back down at her hands. "So far, I’m telekinetic, I can read minds and whatever the energy blasts are. I don’t really try to explore my abilities but I feel like I can do more."

"How long have you been able to do this?" Alice asked from beside her and Eleanor glanced at her. 

"Since I was ten.” El answered and sighed once more. “Like I said, I don't know how powerful I am or can be. I mean the first time I actually used the blasts against someone was two minutes ago."

Carlisle stared at her, pity and amazement seeping into his features. He had never met someone with Eleanor’s abilities in all of his years of being alive and he was amazed that she was his mate.   
He could see that she was insecure and nervous and all he wanted to do was help her. 

"Well, lucky for you, we’re pretty good at learning control." Alice said with a grin as she wrapped an arm around El’s shoulders. The human turned to look at Alice. "You don’t have to worry about this anymore - we’ll help you in any way we can.”


	6. 0.6

Waves crashed against the shoreline of La Push beach and a strong breeze shifted against the faces of everyone there. Eleanor’s long brown hair flew around her shoulders while her blue eyes took in the gray scenery. La Push was one of her favorite places to go - she loved the beach and playing in the waves. 

"Are you getting in the water, El?"

Eleanor turned to see Eric zipping up his wetsuit and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just waiting for a little bit."

Shouting sounded from further down the beach, causing Bella and Eleanor to look towards them. Three boys were making their way to the group, their long, black hair blowing behind them. Eleanor saw their tanned skin and realized they were from the Reservation. 

Bella surprised the girl by meeting them and pulling one of the boys into a hug. "What are you stalking me now?" 

"You're on my turf now, remember?" The boy teased back and Bella pushed him before motioning to her friends. “Guys, this is my friend Jacob Black."

“Hello.” Jacob Black waved back at them. He pointed to the two boys with him. "And this is Quil and Embry."

Eleanor smiled at the boys. "You guys could keep Bella company while we’re in the water."

"Yeah." Jessica laughed, leaning up against her sister. "Since her date bailed."

Eric and Mike broke away from their conversations and narrowed their eyes at Bella. "What date?"

"She invited Edward Cullen." Angela giggled, nudging a smirking Jessica.

Eleanor rolled her eyes, annoyed by how childish they were being. "It’s nice that she invited him. No one ever does."

“Probably cause he’s freak.” Mike shot back and Eleanor raised her middle finger. 

The boy that Jacob had introduced as Quil began to laugh at Mike and Eleanor turned to face him with a raised brow. He met her eyes and, with a mocking grin, said. “The Cullens’ don’t come here.”

Quil’s tone of voice had Eleanor wondering if he knew what they Cullens’ were. The boy met her eyes, his smile just as mischievous. Eleanor shot him a glare before standing up from her seat. "I'm going to change."

Angela followed her to the other side of the truck and leaned against the door as El began to change. She averted her eyes the ground to give Eleanor her privacy. "Do you think Eric's going to ask Bella to prom?"

Eleanor looked over at her friend, who was chewing on her bottom lip. She shrugged, glancing over at him and Bella. "He'll probably try to but I'm sure she'll say no. She doesn't seem interested in anyone but Edward. But don't keep waiting for him to ask you, Ang. If you want to go with him that bad, ask him yourself. The worst he can say is no."

Angela nodded. "You're right."

Eleanor turned her back to Angela. "Zip me up?"

\---

"So can all of you read minds?"

Eleanor sat in the living room of the Cullen house the following day, full of questions for the family. Across from her sat Alice, Carlisle and Edward, each ready to answer her. It had been Alice’s idea for Eleanor to find out more about the family. 

"I’m the only one who can read minds." Edward stated and El waited for him to continue. "We all have different abilities though - Alice has visions of the future. Jasper can control emotions. Rosalie is extremely beautiful, Emmett is physically stronger."

Alice continued where he left off. "Esme doesn't really have one, she's just extremely loving. And Carlisle has really good self-control, that's why he works so well in the hospital."

Eleanor nodded as she processed the information. "So only you, Edward, and Jasper actually have useful powers. I mean Carlisle's would be useful as a vampire too but enhanced beauty?"

Edward chuckled. "Don't let Rose hear you say that."

She huffed, staring between each Cullen before eyeing Edward. "Can I ask you something?"

Alice and Carlisle leaned forward while Edward raised a bushy eyebrow. He motioned for her to go ahead and El hesitantly asked. "What's your problem with Bella?"

Edward sighed, casting a look to Carlisle, who nodded back. "You’ve heard of the term ‘soulmate’ before, right? Soulmates happen for vampires, more often than not. The bond with whoever your   
mate is makes it hard to stay away from them."

"So why are you staying away from her, then?" Eleanor asked, confusion written on her face. If Bella was Edward's soul mate, she couldn't understand why he would stay away from her.

"He doesn't want to hurt her or force her into this lifestyle. Like we explained yesterday, if any human finds out about us, they either have to turn or die." Carlisle explained, looking towards his adopted son. "It’s not that uncommon to stay away from a soulmate if they’re human."

Eleanor slowly nodded, finally understanding why Edward wasn’t trying to get close to Bella. As Eleanor thought, Carlisle studied his own mate. A part of him was eager to tell her exactly what she   
was to him, but Eleanor was wary of them as it was and he didn’t want to make it worse. Carlisle smiled when he looked up and met his gaze before blushing and looking away.

Alice smiled knowingly at the two of them before she nudged Carlisle. He glanced over at her, waiting for her to say what she wanted to. "We were wondering if you could show us what you can do, Eleanor. Just so we can see?"

Eleanor's expression turned to one of uncertainty, but she stood up anyway, wringing her hands in front of her. "I'm not really sure what you want me to do."

The vampires stood, leaving Carlisle to raise a hand and tilt his head to the back door. "Let’s head outside first, shall we?"

“Right.” Eleanor smiled nervously as she followed closely behind Carlisle. Edward and Alice followed behind them, though stopped on the porch when they were outside. Carlisle stood by the stairs and, when El looked back to him, he smiled. “You said you have telekinesis? Why don’t you show us that?”

"Or just try to do what you did to Carlisle yesterday.” Alice mentioned before reconsidering. “Maybe to a tree instead." 

Eleanor nodded in agreement. She noticed the rest of the family had joined them outside and shook off her hands, trying to rid herself of her nerves. El then eyed at the forest before her, deciding what she was going to do. 

She glanced at the seven of them before bringing her hands up in front of her stomach. A ball of scarlet energy formed in her hands and she twirled it around slowly.

“Okay.” Eleanor moved her focus to the tree closest to her. "So, when this happens, you all might want to duck or something in case wood flies everywhere. Especially since I’m not completely convinced that wooden stakes can’t kill you."

Carlisle smiled at his mate as he eyed her hands. He made a note to explain to her how vampires were killed before focusing back on her actions. 

Eleanor's hands raised and she spun them, before pushing her right hand forward and sending the energy towards the tree.

As she watched the energy connect with the tree, she realized her assumption about the tree splitting was correct. It split in the middle, causing a few stray pieces of wood to fly in different directions. She stared at it for a moment before jumping at Emmett’s voice. 

"That was badass."

Eleanor looked over to see the family staring at her with various expressions. Most of them looked thoroughly impressed including Rosalie who had a look of surprise on her face, though Carlisle’s expression was full of awe. 

"Thanks.” El said nervously, entwining her fingers in front of her stomach. “Do you want me to do more while I’m here?

"You can if you want." Carlisle smiled, easily seeing that she was nervous once more. "Don't push yourself if you're not comfortable."

Eleanor and Carlisle locked eyes and exchanged small smiles. There was something between them that Eleanor couldn't describe. She felt something with him that she had never experienced before. A thought popped into her head, but she shook it out before she could really focus on it. Eleanor tried not to look at Edward, afraid that he had heard the thought that came through.  
She took her eyes away from Carlisle’s and put her arms out in front of her. The Cullens’ watched as the human moved the scattered branches to a neat pile under the tree.

"Okay.” She slapped her hands against her thighs. “I'm done."


	7. 0.7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW; attempted assault

Wind whipped through Eleanor’s hair when she stepped out of Jess's car before looking around at her surroundings. Her, Jess, Angela, and Bella had made plans to go to Port Angeles to look for prom dresses. Though Eleanor wasn't going to prom, she wanted to spend the day with friends. El had no interest in going to prom, preferring to spend time by herself instead.

Bella wasn't going either. Supposedly she was going to Jacksonville to visit her mom and stepdad but Eleanor believed it was because Edward hadn't asked her. Bella had only tagged along to go to a bookstore.

Eleanor watched as Jessica twirled around in a hot pink dress. “That looks good on you, Jess.” Usually the girl wasn't a fan of hot pink but when she saw her sister in her dress, she encouraged her to buy it. "

“Yeah. It makes my boobs look great.” Jess grinned at her sister, who rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. Angela, who was wearing a pretty purple dress, laughed at Jess. 

The sound of fists on the window had the girls looking over to a group of boys. Eleanor scowled at the boys who were peering in, whistling and winking at Jess and Angela. "That's disgusting."

Jess scoffed before turning to Bella. "What do you think Bella?" 

"I think they're all nice." She offered a small smile with a shrug, though she didn’t look too much. 

"You're not really into this, are you?" Angela asked.

"I just really wanted to go to this bookstore." She mumbled, looking back down at her hands.

"I'll go with you." Eleanor offered, not wanting her friend walking around the city by herself. She turned to her sister and Angela. "We can meet you guys at the restaurant, if that’s okay?"  
Port Angeles could be a sketchy place at times and, since it was getting dark, she wasn’t going to let Bella walk around alone. Besides, if something did happen, Eleanor liked to think she could protect them both. The time she had spent at the Cullens’ was helping her become more comfortable with her abilities… a little bit at least.

After agreeing to meet Angela and Jessica at the restaurant, Bella and Eleanor left the dress shop and began to head to Bella’s bookstore. Eleanor glanced at her friend, who walked with her head down and her hands tucked in her pockets. "What book are you getting?"

Bella looked up before shrugging. "Jake was telling me about the Quileute legends and I wanted to read more about them."

"Ah." Eleanor bit her lip to avoid smiling. She had read some Quileute legends before and now that she knew what the Cullens’ were, she wondered if every mythical creature existed. She also wondered if Bella was beginning to question the Cullen family. 

Once they reached the bookstore, Bella gave El the name of the book so she could help look. Eleanor left Bella in a different section before beginning to search the aisles. She frowned, sighing in frustration when she reached the last aisle without sighting the book.

"Bella I couldn't find-" she stopped her sentence short when she saw Bella standing at the counter. "Never mind."

Bella chuckled while collecting her change from the cashier. Eleanor followed Bella out of the store, growing nervous when they began to walk. "Are you sure we should be walking down alley ways in the dark?"

"This is the only way to get back." Bella mumbled, not looking comfortable easy.

Eleanor kept looking around, watching for anything suspicious and tensed when she saw a group of men turn down the same alley that they were in. Bella and El shared a look before they both turned around and began walking back to the store. 

"Boys, look what I found!"

Eleanor’s breath caught in her throat and she whipped her head around. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw how close the group was to them. "Oh God, Bella."

She reached down to grip Bella’s hand, who squeezed it tightly in return. Bella kept her eyes forward as she spoke. "Calm down, El. Turn down that way."

They turned a corner, still walking fast but not running just yet. Eleanor let out a curse when she heard the boys laughing behind them. "We should've called Jess to pick us up."  
Eleanor’s heart jumped once more and she could feel her hand beginning to sweat in Bella’s. She knew they would catch up to them but continued to nudge Bella faster when she saw an opening at the end of the alley.

A sound of surprise escaped the Eleanor’s mouth when she felt a hand wrap around her wrist. "We got some pretty ones here, boys!"

"Let go of me." El spat and she was pleased when her voice came out strong. She was absolutely terrified - she knew there was a possibility that she would have to use her abilities against these men and Bella would see it happen. She was also terrified of what these men would do if she didn’t do something soon.

The man holding her laughed and El cringed when his lips brushed her ear. "What're you going to do if I don't?"

Without a second though, Eleanor whipped her hand out and waved her fingers. She turned her head, watching as the man’s eyes turned red before he stumbled back, gripping his head. Eleanor stared at him in horror as she watched images flit through her own mind

The man looked up at her, fear flickering in his eyes. "What the hell did you do to me?"

Before Eleanor could answer, a car pulled into the alleyway, flashing its lights at the group. Eleanor sighed in relief when Edward stormed out of the car. As Edward walked towards them, Eleanor reached for Bella, who was standing next to two boys.

Eleanor gripped Bella's hand once more and pulled her to Edward's car, shooting him a quick smile when she walked by. Eleanor let Bella take the front seat as she slid in the back. She leaned her chin on the passenger seat. "Did you tell him we were here?"

Bella shook her head and the two of them watched as Edward made his way back to them. As soon as he got in the car, Edward put it in drive and sped towards the boys, stopping just before he hit them, before reversing the car and spinning out of there. 

Bella stared at Edward, questions pouring out of her mouth. "How did you know where we were? Were you following us?"

Eleanor already knew the answer and rolled her eyes at Edward. She wished Bella knew about vampires, as it would make things between the two of them much better. 

Edward ignored her questions. "I should go back there and rip those guys' heads off."

"That's probably not a good idea." El said and grinned when Edward shot her a glare through the rearview mirror.

"You don't know the vile, repulsive things they were thinking!" Edward spat, his grip tightening around the wheel. 

"And you do?" Bella challenged.

Edward hesitated for a moment. "It's not hard to guess."

Eleanor leaned her head on the window and closed her eyes. Images of the man’s worst fears popped into her head again and Eleanor shuddered. When she opened her eyes again, Edward was staring at her through the mirror again, though this time he looked apologetic.

Edward eventually stopped in front of a small restaurant. Eleanor shut the car door just as Jessica and Angela walked out of the restaurant. 

"Guys! What happened to you?” Jessica looked between the two. “We thought you ditched us!"

"I'm sorry to keep them away from you this evening.” Edward moved between Bella and Eleanor, smiling at the two in front of them. Eleanor watched in amusement as a shy smile spread across her twin’s face. “We got to talking and lost track of time." 

"Oh, it's totally okay." Angela leaned into Jess as the two of them giggled.

"I should probably make sure they get something to eat, if you don't mind." Edward looked towards Bella and Eleanor. Jess was raising her eyebrows at her twin and Eleanor knew that she’d hear about it when she got home.

"That's really nice of you." Jess smiled again at Edward. "I'll see you at home, El."

Jess and Angela walked away giggling and El bit her lip to keep from laughing at the two of them. She turned to follow Bella and Edward into the restaurant and patiently waited to be seated.

An awkward silence settled around them, even once their food was placed on the table. Edward sat across from Bella, eyeing her food with a scowl on his face. 

Bella eyed him as she swirled her spoon around her soup. "Are you really not going to eat?"

"Not hungry." He lied, looking around the restaurant.

Eleanor glanced between the two of them before settling her gaze on the vampire. She swallowed the piece of food in her mouth before asking him. "How did you know where we were?"

Edward threw a look at Eleanor, who only placed an innocent expression on her face. He ignored the girl before turning to face Bella. His face was scrunched up, almost like it pained him to say what he wanted to. "I feel... very protective of you, Bella."

"So you followed us?" Bella raised an eyebrow and took a bite of her soup.

"I-I was trying to keep my distance from you, unless you needed my help." He scowled, looking just as angry as he had when he found them earlier. "But then I heard what those low-lives were thinking." 

Eleanor caught Edward's eyes, the two of them knowing that he had slipped. She held her breath as she waited for Bella to respond.

"Wait..." Bella looked between El and Edward, her brow turned down. "You heard what they were thinking? So what you can read minds?"

Edward and Eleanor shared another look before he looked back at Bella. He leaned in closer to the both of them before he spoke. "I can read every mind in here, apart from yours."  
Edward looked around the restaurant, nodding to a few different people. "There's um, money, sex, money, sex, cat." He shook his head, frustration showing on him now. "But with you, there's nothing. Very frustrating."

Bella looked concerned. "Well, is there something wrong with me?"

Eleanor let out a laugh, not being able to help herself. The two of them looked at her. "Bella he just told you he could read minds and you think you're the weird one?"

Bella only blushed while Eleanor and Edward smiled at each other.


	8. 0.8

Apparently, Bella had found whatever answer she was looking for in her book because, the next evening, she paced around Eleanor’s room, trying to decide what to do. Her bottom lip was pulled between her teeth and Eleanor worried she would rip out her hair from how tightly she was gripping it.

The girl had been on edge all day. She had shown up late for school that morning and, when Eleanor finally saw Bella, she could tell that the girl was anxious for something. Instead of telling Eleanor what she had read, she asked if they could meet at Eleanor’s house that evening. 

Which is why Eleanor was currently watching the girl have a breakdown in the middle of her room.

"What am I supposed to say to him?" Bella asked, glancing towards Eleanor as she continued to pace. “I mean, what if I’m wrong and he thinks I’m crazy?”

“I mean, you do sound a little crazy.” El said with a shrug. Bella huffed, shooting the smirking brunette a glare. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re accusing him of being a vampire.”

Maybe she could help her friend out by telling her that Edward was a vampire but, honestly, where was the fun in that? If she didn’t know about the Cullen family, she would be trying to talk the girl out of confronting Edward to avoid the embarrassment. But she knew that Edward was driving himself crazy avoiding the girl so she now urged her to confront him. 

Eleanor huffed and sat up to cross her legs under her. “Get him by himself, obviously. And make him admit it, don't just blurt it out." She cringed, remembering the day she had found out about their secret.

“Where should I do it? I only see him at school.” Bella signed, wringing her hands together, worrying on her bottom lip.

"Then that’s going to have to work." Eleanor tried to reassure Bella with a smile. “Confront him tomorrow and we’ll get to see what’s so strange about Edward Cullen.” 

***

The next day at lunch, Eleanor, Jess, and Angela sat outside in the sunshine. It was a rare sunny day in Forks, leaving the girls to take advantage of the weather. Eleanor took a bite out of her sandwich and tilted her head back, letting the warmth wash over her face. 

"Where's Bella?" Jess spoke up, and El cracked an eye open to see Jess looking around.

Eleanor looked around too, whipping her head around to see Bella walking towards the woods. She frowned for a moment before she noticed Edward walking a few feet ahead of her. El bit her lip to hide the smile growing on her face and silently celebrated the fact that she would have someone to gossip with about the vampires. 

She turned back to her sister with a shrug. "I don't know. Haven't seen her since this morning."

Jess simply shrugged and took another bite of her sandwich.

***

Eleanor didn't see Bella nor Edward for the rest of the day, though she didn't worry too much about it. She was sure Edward was still explaining everything to Bella - it had taken a while when she had learned about it too. 

As she walked out to the her final class of the day, Rosalie moved in step beside her. "Are you coming to the house today?"

Eleanor turned to give the blonde a friendly smile. "Alice is forcing me to go shopping with her, so yeah."

A hint of a smile tugged at Rose's lips but she masked it quickly. "If you meet us at our cars, you can ride with us."

El nodded and watched as Rose walked away. The girl had slowly been warming up to Eleanor the more she spent time at their house. She was still intimidating but Eleanor was beginning to like her. 

The rest of the school day passed quickly, and soon Eleanor was walking towards the coven of vampires. She attempted to keep her head down, not wanting to attract too much attention to herself. She especially didn't want her sister seeing her with the Cullens', knowing she would never hear the end of it.

Emmett greeted the girl with a wide grin and Alice wrapped her in a hug before the five of them got into the car. Eleanor had never been afraid of car rides, but Emmett drove faster than anyone she had ever met and she feared he would flip the jeep. She was thankful when they arrived at the house and Emmett's grin told her that he drove like that on purpose. 

Esme greeted Eleanor with a warm smile and a hug when they entered the house. Eleanor loved the woman - she was one of the sweetest people she had ever met. 

"Carlisle is still at work but he'll be home soon." Esme said when she pulled back. "Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat before you and Alice leave." Esme was very happy to have someone else to take care of in the house. She was thrilled that Eleanor was a human, since it meant she could use the kitchen.

"That'd be great Esme, thank you." Esme always seemed to talk about Carlisle around her and, while El didn't understand why, she didn't mind. She only hoped that no one knew about her small crush on the man. She always made sure to keep a mental shield up around Edward just in case.

"Bella found out about us today." Esme shot Eleanor a knowing look as she pulled a pan out from a cabinet. "Edward just got home from seeing her."

El hummed, ducking her head to hide a smile. "I wonder how she found out."

"I wonder." Esme laughed, shooing Eleanor away. "He's upstairs."

Eleanor laughed as she headed for the stairs. As she climbed the steps, soft classical music floated down from Edward's room. She leaned against the door frame to see the boy sitting on his chair. "Can I come in?"

Without looking up from the book he was reading, Edward nodded. Eleanor walked in and sat in an empty chair. She twiddled her thumbs for a moment, watching as Edward flipped the page. "I have a question."

Edward peeked up at her through his lashes before settling his gaze back on his page. A look of frustration passed on his face and El assumed it was because her shield was up. "Which is?"

She didn't even know what had prompted her to ask. Maybe it was the fact that Esme always talked about him to her or the lingering looks he gave her when she was around. "Am I- Am I Carlisle's mate?"

Edward's fingers froze on the page and he sighed deeply before bringing his hands up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Does it bother you that you are?"

"No." Eleanor answered, surprised that she really wasn't bothered. "How come he hasn't said anything?"

"Because you're seventeen." Edward looked at her with raised brows. "And people in this town think he's nearing his thirties. And because he doesn't want to pressure you into anything you don't want."

She sighed, rubbing a hand down her face. "Should I tell him that I know?"

A smile tugged on Edward's lips. "If you want to tell him. Like I said, if you're not interested, he's not going to pressure you."

Eleanor picked at her fingers, obviously thinking over the new information. She couldn't help the happiness that bubbled in her at the knowledge but knew that it didn't necessarily mean anything. 

Edward huffed. "I can practically see you thinking, Eleanor. He'll be home before you and Alice go out, so I suggest you talk to him about this."

Eleanor rolled her eyes as she stood. "Thanks for telling me." 

He only nodded back at her before watching as she jogged down the stairs. She could smell the food that Esme had prepared and her stomach growled as she entered the kitchen. She spotted Esme scooping food onto a plate and slid into a seat at the table. "Thank you."

Esme smiled at the human and sat down next to her. Eleanor took a bite of her food and nearly moaned. "This is so good."

The two sat and talked about school and how Esme's day had been. Her mind was only half focused on the conversation while the other half was worrying about how she would confront Carlisle. She wondered how long he'd known about Eleanor being his mate and why he didn't say anything sooner. 

Eleanor's head snapped up at the sound of the front door opening and closing and she quickly scooped the last bit of food into her mouth. Carlisle entered the kitchen, his brows furrowed down and his mouth open like he was about to talk.

He stopped when he saw Eleanor and Esme sitting at the table before his face broke into a smile. "Hello."

El smiled with her mouth closed, still holding food inside. Esme greeted Carlisle back before taking El's plate and exiting the kitchen. Carlisle took his sister's seat at the table as Eleanor swallowed her food. "I wasn't aware that you were coming today."

"Alice wanted to go shopping." Eleanor said, simply, curling her hands around the sleeves of her sweater. "I don't actually know where she is though."

Carlisle chuckled before silence fell between them. Eleanor stared back down at the table, trying to decide how to bring up this topic.

Carlisle studied the girl curiously, a soft smile curling on his lips. "What're you thinking about?"

Eleanor sighed, causing Carlisle to frown. She kept her eyes on the table as she spoke. "Why didn't you tell me that I'm your mate?"

Carlisle leaned back in his chair, not expecting this conversation. He rubbed his face with a hand. "It's more complicated than you think, Eleanor."

"Why?" Eleanor didn't know why she felt so hurt by his answer. "Is it because of what I am?"

"No, no, no." Carlisle shook his head quickly, moving off the chair and landing on his knees in front of her. "I didn't tell you because you're only seventeen. I think your abilities are special, El. You are special."

El didn't reply, instead choosing to look down at her hands. Carlisle sighed before reaching forward to grab them. "I'm not pressuring you into anything, Eleanor. It's your decision."

"I know." Eleanor said. "And you're right. I'm only seventeen, so maybe it would be a good idea to... wait? Maybe?"

"Take as much time as you need." Carlisle's thumb caressed the back of her hands and his eyes were kind as he stared at her.

Eleanor felt herself smile and she looked up to lock eyes with Carlisle's. "Thank you."

Carlisle didn't say anything. They stayed in their positions, holding hands and staring into each other's eyes. She found that she didn't mind being Carlisle's mate. It wouldn't be a bad thing and she felt a little better in the moment, knowing she would always have a group of people behind her.


End file.
